Man found guilty of stabbing great-uncle 71 times

A convicted killer broke into his great-uncle's house before stabbing him to death as he lay in bed, a court has heard.

Prosecutors said balaclava-clad Direece Roche, 30, of Manchester, climbed through an upstairs window of 64-year-old Fintan McDwyer's house in the Fallowfield area of the city during the early hours of 30 June 2024.

Manchester Crown Court was told Roche, who had previously been convicted of murdering another man in 2011, then stabbed Mr McDwyer 71 times, with the victim found early on 1 July "in a pool of blood".

Roche will return to the same court in July for sentencing.

Audio taken from a device recovered in Mr McDwyer's house led detectives to believe the frenzied attack lasted about 90 seconds.

The Crown Prosecution Service said video footage captured Roche fleeing the scene by jumping over garden fences in the area.

The 30-year-old was arrested on 6 July after a torch found in one of the gardens contained traces of his DNA as well as the victim's blood.

Nicola Carter, senior crown prosecutor for north-western England, said they had successfully applied for members of the jury at Roche's trial to know about his previous murder conviction, because it was important "to show his prior bad character".

She said: "Roche stabbed a 23-year-old man to death in 2011, when he was 16 years old."

Ms Carter said: "While nothing can bring Mr McDwyer back, I hope his family - and in particular his three sons, who have had to sit through this trial - can begin to move forward, knowing Roche will face the consequences of his actions."

In a statement last year, McDwyer's family described him as "a true gentleman" who "always had a twinkle in his eye".

Their tribute went on: "There isn't anyone who would say a bad word about Fintan, and it breaks our hearts that he has been denied years to be with his sons and grandchildren."

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